Tree seedling recruitment in Amazon secondary forest: Importance of topography and gap micro-site conditions

2013 ◽  
Vol 287 ◽  
pp. 140-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Vizcarra Bentos ◽  
Henrique E.M. Nascimento ◽  
G. Bruce Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Site Conditions ◽  
Tree Seedling

Variation in vegetation cover and seedling performance of tree species in a forest-savanna ecotone

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamza Issifu ◽  
George K. D. Ametsitsi ◽  
Lana J. de Vries ◽  
Gloria Djaney Djagbletey ◽  
Stephen Adu-Bredu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
First Year ◽  
Transplant Experiment ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Savanna Woodland ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Species Specific

AbstractDifferential tree seedling recruitment across forest-savanna ecotones is poorly understood, but hypothesized to be influenced by vegetation cover and associated factors. In a 3-y-long field transplant experiment in the forest-savanna ecotone of Ghana, we assessed performance and root allocation of 864 seedlings for two forest (Khaya ivorensis and Terminalia superba) and two savanna (Khaya senegalensis and Terminalia macroptera) species in savanna woodland, closed-woodland and forest. Herbaceous vegetation biomass was significantly higher in savanna woodland (1.0 ± 0.4 kg m−2 vs 0.2 ± 0.1 kg m−2 in forest) and hence expected fire intensities, while some soil properties were improved in forest. Regardless, seedling survival declined significantly in the first-year dry-season for all species with huge declines for the forest species (50% vs 6% for Khaya and 16% vs 2% for Terminalia) by year 2. After 3 y, only savanna species survived in savanna woodland. However, best performance for savanna Khaya was in forest, but in savanna woodland for savanna Terminalia which also had the highest biomass fraction (0.8 ± 0.1 g g−1 vs 0.6 ± 0.1 g g−1 and 0.4 ± 0.1 g g−1) and starch concentration (27% ± 10% vs 15% ± 7% and 10% ± 4%) in roots relative to savanna and forest Khaya respectively. Our results demonstrate that tree cover variation has species-specific effects on tree seedling recruitment which is related to root storage functions.

scholarly journals Dynamics of tree seedling populations in a humid subtropical forest of northeast India as related to disturbance

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 584-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.K. Bank ◽  
P. Rao ◽  
R.S. Tripathi ◽  
H.N. Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Northeast India ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Humid Forest ◽  
Microenvironmental Factors ◽  
Survival Pattern ◽  
Disturbed Forest ◽  
Disturbed Stand

Recruitment and survival of four important broad-leaved tree species, viz Quercusdealbata L., Quercusgriffithii Hk., Rhododendronarboreum Sm., and Schimakhasiana Dyer., were studied over 2 years in the undisturbed, mildly disturbed and highly disturbed forest stands of a subtropical humid forest of Meghalaya, northeast India. Recruitment of S. khasiana seedlings was maximum in the highly disturbed stand, while Q. dealbata seedlings were abundant in the undisturbed and mildly disturbed stands. Seedlings of Q. dealbata, Q. griffithii, and R. arboreum were equally successful in all the stands, while S. khasiana seedlings showed better survival in the highly disturbed stand than in the mildly disturbed and undisturbed stands. Six microenvironmental factors, viz photosynthetically active radiation, relative humidity, air temperature, soil temperature, soil moisture, and thickness of litter on the forest floor, were correlated with the age-specific mortality rate of seedlings. In Q. dealbata, Q. griffithii, and S. khasiana, mortality rate was significantly affected by microenvironmental factors, while in R. arboreum mortality was not correlated with any of the microenvironmental factors. On the basis of seedling recruitment and survival pattern, it was concluded that Q. dealbata, Q. griffithii, and R. arboreum were successful in both disturbed and undisturbed forest stands, while S. khasiana seedlings showed better survival and establishment in the disturbed stands.

scholarly journals Sydowia polyspora is both a Foliar Endophyte and a Preemergent Seed Pathogen in Pinus ponderosa

Plant Disease ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. 640-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Ridout ◽  
George Newcombe
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Tetrazolium Chloride ◽  
Seedling Disease ◽  
Viability Assay ◽  
Poor Seed ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Forest Nurseries

Poor seedling performance and reduced seed emergence are often ascribed to known pathogens that cause low seedling recruitment and poor seed emergence in forest nurseries and regeneration plantings. On the other hand, foliar endophytes are often overlooked as a source of poor emergence or tree seedling disease. Here, we show that an endophytic fungus common to the foliar microbiome of Pinus ponderosa acts as a cryptic pathogen in delaying emergence. In a series of experiments, we inoculated seed of P. ponderosa with a suspension of Sydowia polyspora 12 h prior to sowing. S. polyspora reduced seed emergence of its host, P. ponderosa, by as much as 30%. A tetrazolium chloride viability assay showed that S. polyspora reduces emergence by preventing germination; seed remained viable. In sum, pathogens affecting tree seed emergence and seedling recruitment may be endophytic as well as in seed and soil and deserve greater attention in studies of natural regeneration.

scholarly journals Temperature, precipitation and biotic interactions as determinants of tree seedling recruitment across the tree line ecotone

Oecologia ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 179 (2) ◽  
pp. 599-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Tingstad ◽  
Siri Lie Olsen ◽  
Kari Klanderud ◽  
Vigdis Vandvik ◽  
Mikael Ohlson
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Tree Line ◽  
Tree Seedling

scholarly journals Biotic and abiotic drivers of tree seedling recruitment across an alpine treeline ecotone

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther R. Frei ◽  
Eva Bianchi ◽  
Giulietta Bernareggi ◽  
Peter Bebi ◽  
Melissa A. Dawes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Treeline Ecotone ◽  
Alpine Treeline ◽  
Alpine Treeline Ecotone

scholarly journals Tree colonization of sub-Mediterranean grasslands: effects of dispersal limitation and shrub facilitation

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges Kunstler ◽  
Joël Chadœuf ◽  
Etienne K Klein ◽  
Thomas Curt ◽  
Monique Bouchaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Dispersal Limitation ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Mature Trees ◽  
Quercus Pubescens ◽  
Safe Sites ◽  
Buxus Sempervirens ◽  
Canopy Area ◽  
Dispersal Distances

Encroachment of trees into low-productivity grasslands is a serious threat to grassland biodiversity throughout Europe. Although the rate of encroachment of trees into grassland is variable and poorly understood, it is thought to result from variation in tree seedling recruitment, which is limited mainly by the availability of safe sites and the dispersal distances of propagules. In this study, we established spatially explicit models of seedling recruitment for two major sub-Mediterranean trees: Quercus pubescens Willd. and Fagus sylvatica L. We quantified the spatial distribution of Q. pubescens and F. sylvatica seedlings up to 20 years old at three grassland sites. We also quantified the spatial distribution and size of mature trees and of the two dominant species of shrubs, Buxus sempervirens L. and Juniperus communis L., at each of the three sites. Ninety-eight percent of the regeneration took place under shrub canopy. Quercus pubescens seedlings showed higher seedling production per unit of canopy area and longer mean effective dispersal distances than did F. sylvatica seedlings. Quercus pubescens seedlings also had a large advantage over F. sylvatica seedlings for establishment in open areas. Juniperus shrubs were better safe sites for the establishment of Q. pubescens and F. sylvatica seedlings than were Buxus shrubs. We calculated indices of seedling dispersal limitation and safe site availability for recruitment for four dates. In the dolomitic Causse grasslands examined in this study, the availability of safe sites for germination and survival was far more important than seedling dispersal limitation for recruitment of both tree species.

Effects of vegetation cover on seedling and sapling dynamics in secondary tropical wet forests in Costa Rica

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Dupuy ◽  
Robin L. Chazdon
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Canopy Gaps ◽  
Canopy Gap ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Understorey Vegetation

We examined effects of experimental manipulations of vegetation cover on recruitment, mortality and density of seedlings (20–100 cm tall) and saplings (≥100 cm tall) of woody growth forms over a 2.5-y period. We created four treatments in each of three 15–20-y-old tropical forest stands in Costa Rica: a large canopy gap (270–350 m2), a small canopy gap (50–100 m2), understorey vegetation removal, and an unmanipulated control treatment. Creation of canopy gaps, especially large ones, increased first-year recruitment and density, as well as overall mortality of seedlings. Saplings experienced lower mortality and more prolonged gap-enhanced recruitment and density than seedlings. Removal of understorey vegetation had little or no effect on tree seedling and sapling dynamics. Recruitment and density of lianas responded only to large gaps, whereas understorey species responded to both gap treatments and to spatial heterogeneity within gaps. Tree species exhibited diverse regeneration requirements, whereas liana and understorey species were more specialized to the high and low ends of the light availability gradient, respectively. Canopy gaps provide a critical mechanism for regeneration of lianas, and canopy tree species that dominate during the early stages of secondary forest succession. The choice of management system for these secondary forests can determine the direction and rate of succession.

scholarly journals Landscape structure shapes the diversity of tree seedlings at multiple spatial scales in a fragmented tropical rainforest

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0253284
Author(s):  
Sergio Nicasio-Arzeta ◽  
Isela E. Zermeño-Hernández ◽  
Susana Maza-Villalobos ◽  
Julieta Benítez-Malvido
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Landscape Composition ◽  
Landscape Configuration ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Α Diversity

The maintenance of seedling diversity of animal-dispersed tree species is fundamental for the structure and function of forest patches in fragmented tropical rainforests. Nonetheless, the effects of landscape structure at different spatial scales on α- and β-diversity of tree seedling communities are recently explored. Using a multi-scale approach, we assessed the relative effect of landscape composition and configuration on α- and β-diversity of animal-dispersed seedlings within 16 forest patches in the Lacandona rainforest, Mexico. We assessed these effects at 13 spatial scales (from 300 to 1500 m radius, at 100 m intervals) for three metrics of effective number of species considering α- and β-diversity. We found that α-diversity was largely affected by landscape composition and β-diversity by landscape configuration. On the one hand, the amount of secondary forest influenced α-diversity. Additionally, species richness increased in landscapes with highly aggregated forest patches. On the other hand, β-diversity was affected positively by forest fragmentation and negatively by the edge contrast of forest patches with the surrounding matrix. Our findings indicate that landscape configuration is a strong driver of seedling diversity in highly deforested rainforests. Promoting forest patches and secondary forests through payment for ecosystem services’ programs, favoring matrix quality within land-sharing schemes of smallholder agriculture and secondary forest management, and identifying restoration opportunities for assisted or unassisted natural regeneration are urgently needed for conservation of seedling diversity in human-modified tropical landscapes.

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